January 31, 2010

Leftovers are a beautiful thing, especially on a Friday night at the end of a long week. Refrigerator check: paltry pickings. Several kinds of cheese, leftover chicken, assorted veggies, enough to make a salad. On any other night that would seem a perfectly reasonable and fast alternative to cooking something from scratch.

There was something else - the balsamic onion marmalade we made from The Zuni Café Cookbooklast weekend. Nothing seemed immediately obvious, certainly not anything that could be teased into some semblance of a main dish. But that marmalade was so good - jammy and tart and sweet all at the same time - that it seemed a shame not to use it somehow.

And so to one person dinner standby - the grilled cheese sandwich. No reason not to make a gourmet version. Rowe Farms bacon, some beautifully nutty Gruyère cheese, the marmalade, all nestled between two slices of Nuala's Irish soda bread, sparingly spread with unsalted butter. I toast the sandwich slooooowly on a cast iron griddle over low heat. A glass of wine is the perfect complement to what turns out to be a delightful dinner chez moi.

1. Combine onions, oil and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until any moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes more.

2. Stir in the honey and cook for five minutes. Add the bay leaf and red wine, bring to a simmer and cook until the wine is syrupy, about 45 minutes.

3. Add the two vinegars and cook until the liquid is syrupy again. Taste and adjust for salt, sweetness and acidity.

4. Raise the heat slightly to evaporate the last of the liquid, about 5 minutes. The marmalade should be glossy, with a deep rich colour.

1 comment:

This blog started with a kitchen renovation that changed our house and our lives, and ended up being about my cooking adventures, musings about food, travel, Sunday dinners with great menus from sometimes wacky cookbooks, and ultimately how food unites and transforms us. Sit back, read on and stay awhile. There's a dish or story here for you, and plenty of room at the table.

Bedside Reading

Cook, Eat, Share!

Foodblogs

PetitChef

Before and After Slideshow (enlarge by clicking on image)

About Me

I'm eternally curious, always adventurous and usually hungry. Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake allows me to share my passion for cooking, and for eating with friends and family. It's liberally spiced with musings about local flavours, unusual ingredients, travel, wacky and wonderful cookbooks, and the joy that gathering around a feast can bring.